Right And Wrong
by serenadreams
Summary: "She wants to be the girl who shows him what it's like to be loved more than anything else, she wants him to know that there is one person in the world who will always choose him." Oneshot inspired by the spoilers for upcoming episodes. Delena of course!


_**Right and Wrong**_

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><p><em>You may be young but you're ready<em>

_Don't take my love for granted_

_You're all I (I'll ever need)_

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><p>She doesn't really know why she does it; Stefan's standing in front of her, his face a mask of guilt and regret, practically begging her to take him back. She wants to <em>want <em>to be with him. She wants to misswhat they had.

She leans up and presses a soft kiss to his familiar lips, willing herself to feel what she used to feel. (She doesn't.) She doesn't really feel anything, except a numb ache that's telling her that this is all _wrong. _That there's something she's missing, something she needs which she can't get in Stefan's embrace anymore. She's not sure she ever really could get it with him. It was never quite _right_.

He's grabbing her face and pulling her deeper, a hand snaking around her waist, she doesn't want this. He tastes wrong, he smells wrong, it's all just so _wrong. _She tries to pull away, but he's holding her tight, and she wonders how it's possible that he thinks they still have a chance. It's so clear to her, yes it hurts, and yes she wishes she felt differently, but whatever she had with Stefan is over. That realization brings a lump to her throat, even as he pulls her closer still, why couldn't things go back to the way they were before? When she was so sure of her feelings, when everything was so simple. (She knows they can never go back.)

The sharp intake of breath behind her makes her push more vigorously against Stefan's chest until he finally releases her, turning to find the source of the interruption. The momentary relief she feels at being out of his all too familiar caress diminishes quickly as she looks towards the door of his bedroom.

Her eyes meet Damon's stormy blue ones, and her heart clenches at the pain she sees there. He doesn't look angry, or even particularly surprised; he just looks defeated. His bright orbs burn into hers and she feels like he's turning her inside out, she suddenly feels incredibly naked and exposed, her heart flutters and her nails dig into her palms.

"We're sort of in the middle of something…" Stefan hints, an almost Damon like smirk on his face. It makes her feel slightly ill, she finds herself fighting the urge to yell at him, or hit him, something to get him to just _shut the fuck up_. He looks completely unfazed and she wonders if that _was_ actually such a horrible thing to say as she feels it was, or whether some part of her instinctively jumps to Damon's defense even when uncalled for. (She knows the answer; she just doesn't want to admit it.)

Damon nods, and his eyes search hers for a second before dropping to the ground. The sound of her soft gasp can be heard loudly in the deathly silent room. Damon's looking at her with acceptance. She's seen those beautiful eyes flash with almost every emotion in the universe. He's looked at her with hatred, love, fear, sadness, jealousy, anger and even occasionally happiness, but never this. This is new and it hurts more than anything she's witnessed him feel before.

A small smile crosses his lips, an achingly beautiful, accepting smile. (It doesn't reach his eyes.) He nods again and turns to leave.

"I'll let you be." He murmurs, walking away from them without another word or even a glance over his shoulder. Somehow she knows that he's not just talking about right now, he's talking about always, and he's talking to _her. _the sudden rush of realization that runs through her makes her feel dizzy and a little breathless. She doesn't _want _him to let her be. In fact, the thought of it is terrifying to her, it's never crossed her mind that he might one day get tired of always being there, that he might actually _give up. _ He's Damon, and however much they fight or ignore each other, he's always _there. _He's always waiting for that moment when she needs him the most and then he'll help her without question, and god damn it she _needs _that. (She needs him.)

"Damon wait." She finds herself propelled forwards, desperate to tell him…something. Explain, _do_ something to make that defeated look in his eyes disappear. Damon was a lot of things, irrational, angry, volatile, passionate, loyal, but never defeated. Never has he looked at her like that; like he's giving up. (Giving _her _up.)

He stops and turns when she touches his shoulder, but still his eyes hold none of their usual fire and determination. It hurts more than it should. She wants to fix him. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out. What is she supposed to say? The truth? (All I could think about when I kissed him was how I wished it was you…?) The words get stuck in her throat. Stefan's still in the room of course, and she can feel his eyes on her, it makes her shiver uncomfortably. When did _Stefan _become the brother who made her uncomfortable? While Damon was… What? (The person she'd trust with everything.)

"It's ok Elena." He whispers, his hand reaching down to lightly brush against her cheek, his fingers twirling with a strand of her hair before tucking it behind her ear. He's looking at her like he's committing her face to memory; it scares her so deeply she begins to tremble.

"It's ok." He says again. "I _get it_." His voice is soft, not full of the derision or hurt she expects. It reminds her of that time all those months ago when she'd been panicking because the tomb vampires had taken Stefan and she didn't know how to get him back; Damon had looked into her eyes and told her that he _got it. _There had been no malice, just understanding and recognition. At the time it had reassured her, given her a rush of understanding and trust for Damon that she'd never felt before. But now it makes her ache. Because he _doesn't _get it.

It's all so _wrong_.

His hand drops to his side and he gives her another weak smile. She once again opens her mouth and tries to say what she needs to, stop him before it's too late, make him understand, make things _right._ But he's gone. Gone so fast her eye didn't even catch it. _He's gone for good. _The thought flashes unwanted through her mind and her eyes fill with tears.

She feels Stefan come up behind her; he kisses her cheek and wraps his arms around her waist. She used to love this, the way he'd hold her and be sweet and oh so gentle, now she feels suffocated and panicked and she needs to _get away_, she needs to run as fast as she can, away from what she's feeling, away from what she fears, away from it all.

"I thought he'd never leave." He murmurs huskily, his breath tickling her ear.

She pulls away from him and smacks at the hands he has hooked around her middle. His face twists in confusion and she finds herself feeling irrationally angry.

"Don't be a jerk." She snaps, she's itching to run after Damon, desperate to watch the way his eyes will light up when she tells him that what he saw was all _wrong_ and what she feels is so _right_.

She needs to find him and explain and wipe that broken look right off his beautiful face. His dear, heartbreaking face.

"Elena, I thought…" Stefan begins, standing in front of her looking like a lost puppy, all wide eyed and confused. She feels a rush of regret for him, she doesn't hate Stefan; she doesn't think she ever could (What she felt for him was never passionate enough to merit hatred.) But she's well aware of what he thought, he thought he could leave her, abuse her, hurt her, break her heart and then come running straight back into her arms. (She thought he could too, just not anymore.) She can see the old Stefan, the one she _used to _love_, _she can see that he regrets everything he's done, all the tears she's shed for him in the last three months. (Not as many as she should have.) But it doesn't change the way she feels, it doesn't take it away, it doesn't fix it. His apologies or repentance don't nullify what happened. (It's not so much his actions as her _emotions _that have changed anyway.)

"Someone once told me, that I had to remember the things I felt when you were gone…." She says softly, her eyes searching his. (Those words had led to a night full of dreams of blue eyes and lustful smirks.) "And I do." She doesn't really know what she's admitting to. She doesn't love him anymore? She feels something for someone else? She _loves _someone else? It's all too confusing and her head (heart) is hurting, and there's so much that needs fixing.

"I'm so sorry for everything that I did, it wasn't me and I know I hurt you…I will never forgive myself for that, but…" Stefan is trying to reason with her, she can see that he can sense that something has changed. He's trying to reason it out, rationalize it, he's hiding from what they can both feel coming.

Her eyes fill with tears. This is it. This is the moment of closure she needs.

"I forgive you Stefan. I _forgive _you, but we can't go back. I can't go there with you again…we're not those people anymore." The words hurt, but they feel _right. _This is where they are, there's no other way to go, it's the end for them, it has been for a while.

A lone tear trickles down her cheek.

"Elena please!" He's looking desperate now, desperate and scared.

"It's over Stefan. I'm sorry." Her voice is barely above a whisper and she finds herself wishing that things would be different. This is the boy who saved her life, made her smile for the first time in months, healed her. He showed her that life would get better, that things wouldn't always be so painful. She tiptoes up and presses a light kiss to his cheek. Her eyes linger on his face, remembering everything they had together, all the beautiful happy moments that she would treasure forever, (she really did love him, and she'd never forget it.) and then she walks away.

He doesn't try to stop her, just watches her leave with his own sadness etched across his face. Maybe he too has realized that this is the only way it can be.

Her shoulders shake as she tries to hold back the tears threatening to burst free. All she can think about is that she needs to find Damon. (She knows that that shouldn't matter so much to her, she doesn't care.) Her walk turns into a run as she goes towards his room, she finds it empty and cold (abandoned) and a fresh sob rips from her chest. He'd know what to say to her, he'd make this better. He'd make it _right. _

Why does it feel like she's just lost both of them?

She clatters down the stairs, suddenly feeling like she's suffocating, like the walls are closing in and there's nothing she can do to stop them, it's all so out of her control and she wants to scream.

She runs out of the house and stops short when she finds Damon's car in it's usual place. She imagines him running out of the house and not stopping, never stopping and _god_ how that hurt. Where is he? She needs him.

Her fingers fumble with her phone as she hurries towards her own car, she feels numb and briefly wonders if she might be going into shock. The fact that she has his number on speed dial is such a tribute to how central he's become to her life, to her _existence. _The monotonous ringing taunts her even as she pulls out of the boarding house driveway. He's been ignoring her calls a lot lately, it's a blow to the heart every time she hears his cocky voicemail message. Damn him, _damn _him for making her feel like this.

Her hands are shaking and she has trouble holding the car steady, her cheeks are wet with tears and she's reminded of Damon saving her the night she crashed, that was the first time she'd let herself trust him. The first time he'd let her know she _could _trust him.

She hits her hand against the steering wheel when his answering phone mocks her again. She hits redial instantly, even while knowing how useless it is.

She drives around for what feels like an eternity but is probably only a couple of hours. She knows that she doesn't stand a chance of finding him when he doesn't want to be found, but at least while she's aimlessly driving she can feel like she's _trying. _ She refuses to give up. (Even though she feels like he might have.)

She finally turns around as the sky begins to darken and turn into night. The darkness feels more cold and austere than it has in a while. She feels more _scared_ than she has in a while. She drives to her house slowly, putting off the inevitable moment of defeat.

The house is dark and empty when she finally arrives and she chokes on a sob. Her chest feels like it's tearing, everything has gone so wrong. She doesn't think she _can _fix it any more. She wonders if maybe this time they _won't _survive. This fragile thing she's built with Damon is so precious to her, (as much as she hates to admit it.) and she didn't used to think it would ever really break, like she'd said _we always survive. _The thought of them not fixing things, the thought of this rift between them being permanent made her want to curl up into a ball and cry until she had no more tears.

She drags her feet as she walks up to her room, going through the routine of getting ready for bed with a disregard she hasn't had in a while. She knows she'd done the right thing with Stefan. She should be feeling better right now, a weight should have been lifted from her shoulders, but all she feels was the regret and fear for the thing she's done wrong. The thing she's broken. (She never wanted to break him. She thinks that's the difference between her and Katherine. All she's ever wanted to do was _fix_ Damon.)

She cries herself to sleep. Her pillow absorbing her tears and her duvet muffling the sound of her sobs. It's all too much. It's all too damn much and she just _can't _any more. She'd meant what she'd said when she'd told Damon that she didn't know what she'd do if he weren't here. Well he isn't here and she doesn't know what to do. (Except cry and think about all the things she could have done differently.)

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><p>She doesn't really know what wakes her, she isn't aware of hearing any sound, just a unconscious need to open her eyes. He's sitting on her window seat, his arms resting on his knees and a faraway expression on his face. The image pulls at some distant memory, just out of her reach.<p>

"Damon!" She whispers. She doesn't even bother to hide the pleasure in her voice, she's too tired to play games, and god is she glad to see him.

She sits up in bed and watches his unchanging expression with concern. He looks so troubled and lost and her heart tugs. (She hurts _for _him; she feels his pain.) She wonders what he would be like if he was truly happy, if nothing was weighing on his shoulders and he had everything in the world he desired. She ignores the fleeting thought that she would do anything to give him that.

She climbs out of bed and approaches him slowly, he still hasn't met her eyes, his stormy ones fixed firmly on the floor.

"Damon." She says softly, his name seemingly the only thing that can come out of her mouth. This time it's more of a caress than a word.

She crouches down on the floor in front of him, forcing him to look at her. He reluctantly lets his eyes travel over her. If she expected one of his snarky comments about her being on her knees before him, she would be disappointed. He barely acknowledges her.

"Talk to me Damon." She begs, her voice barely above a whisper.

It scares her to see him like this, she has a feeling that she's seen it before, but she knows she would have remembered. She remembers every second she spends with Damon, the good, the bad, the beautiful… She isn't sure which category this falls under yet.

"I'm leaving." He murmurs softly, his honey like voice a relief to her ears, until the meaning of his words hit her.

Of all the things he could say, he chooses the one thing that will break her.

"What?" She doesn't like the way her voice catches, the way her heart has already sped up and her mind is going into overdrive.

"Is this because of Stefan? Because…" She tries to force her brain to focus enough to form a coherent sentence and is amazed when she manages. (All she wants to do is throw her arms around his leg like a four year old and refuse to move.)

"No Elena…" He pulls her up off the floor gently, the soft touch of his hands against hers burning into her skin. He stands in front of her and runs his hands up her arms and across her shoulders, finally settling them on her cheeks. Holding her face in that way that only he does, and she wants to cry because of how gently he is, how caring…(How right it feels to be so close to him.)

"It's not because of Stefan. I'm _happy _for you." She can actually see it's the truth, he's not happy for himself but he is for her, it's written all across his face. "I'm leaving because of me. I just…" He pauses and strokes her cheek with his thumb. "I just need some time." He finishes with a soft smile, echoing her words. (The words she never meant, however many times she tried.)

He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and smiles again. That same damn smile that he's been pulling out all night, the one that breaks her heart because it's so damn painful. And then his hands are falling from her cheeks and she's panicking because he _can't _leave. She's terrified that she might not be able to find the right words to make him stay. (He _has _to stay.)

"Damon wait!" She grabs onto his shirt, knowing that he could easily pull free from her grasp, but needing to do _something _to hold him in place. "You said…you _promised _you would never leave." Her voice breaks and her eyes flood with tears and she doesn't even care, because she'll admit to anything to stop him from going. She can't do this without him, she can't _handle _everything without him. She _needs _him and if telling him that is what it takes to make him stay, then she'll do it without a second thought. The idea of having to face the world without the knowledge that Damon was _there_… It was too much. Even when they're fighting or barely even talking to each other, he's still around, he's still the one person who she knows that should she really need him, he'll be there. Without that, everything is too cruel and too cold and too _wrong._

He looks at her in the exact way he did that night, when he promised her he would never leave. His eyes filled with regret and love and pain.

He doesn't say anything, just nods, his eyes dropping to the floor. He looks almost ashamed, another emotion she never thought she'd see him wear.

"I guess this would count as the first promise I've ever broken to you." His voice is a little rough and she can't figure out what's going through his mind. She can't get a read on him and it's killing her.

"Damon no." She sounds stronger than she is. Hell she doesn't feel strong at all, she feels like her knees are about to give out and her chest about to close in. "You can't leave."

"I need to Elena." He pulls away from her and she quickly rushes around him to stand between him and the window, as though blocking his exit with her small body would effectively stop him.

"Well I need _you_!" She explodes, tears trickling down her cheeks (She's surprised she still has any left.)

His eyes flash to hers and she sees the surprise, the momentary happiness, followed by the realization that it doesn't change anything. She can't help feeling a little angry, it damn well should change something. She's never needed anyone like she needs him and it scares her half to death. (It changes _everything _for her.)

"I can't do this any more. I can't be here…I can't…" He looks like he's forcefully holding himself in place and she wonders if he wants to pull her into his arms as much as _she _wants him to. (She hopes so.) She can feel the tension coming off him in waves and feels another overwhelming urge to fix him. She wants to fix everything that's ever hurt him, she wants to take it all back and make him happy. She wants to be the girl who would change the world for him, take away his pain and replace it with contentment. She wants to be the girl who shows him what it's like to be loved more than anything else, she wants him to know that there is one person in the world who would always choose _him_. (She just wishes she could have come to that realization sooner.)

"Yes you can! I-I'm not with Stefan…We're over it was just a…I'm not going back to him." She reaches up and holds his head in her hands, as he had done earlier, rubbing her thumbs in gentle caresses against his temples. "Please don't leave me." She sobs, she's distantly aware of how pathetic she must sound, how needy and desperate, but she can't bring herself to care.

"God Elena, don't do this to me." He begs, and he sounds more broken than he did before, and she wants to die because every time she opens her mouth she seems to hurt him.

"You know…I want you to be happy more than anything the world, but I just don't think I can stay here and…" She interrupts him before he can finish. She knows what he's about to say; 'stay here and _watch._' It would never occur to him that he'd be anything other than someone on the outside looking in. She wonders how long he's felt like that, how long he's been under the assumption that he wasn't important, _vital. _

"I can't be happy if you're not here." She knows it's a low blow, but she doesn't really give a damn. Anything to make him stay. Even the truth.

"Yes you would." He argues, and she's proud to hear that there's still a little bit of fight in him. "I promise."

She scowls at that, and he chuckles softly at her scrunched up face, she glares at him and the laughter disappears.

"Yeah well you break your promises now." She says bitterly. He sighs and she fleetingly feels guilty for what she's doing to him. (All she ever wanted to do was help him.) She finds herself wondering if maybe she should let him go, maybe it would be better for him. (She would break, she was sure of that) Maybe she's being selfish by begging him to say, clinging to the last constant she has in her life… He deserves more than to hang around here being her rock, and maybe he can find that _something more_ someplace else. The thought of him finding happiness in someone else's arms hurt like hell.

He's still watching her, that mixture of regret and apology coloring his expression, and she realizes that maybe, just maybe she loves him enough to let him leave her. Loves him? Yes she loves him, she knows it, perhaps she's known it for a while. Fear makes her weak, and she's scared of what she feels for him. It's too big, too overwhelming and all consuming.

There was that expression, if you love someone let them go, she had thought it was ridiculous up until now, she hadn't understood why you'd ever let _anyone _go if you loved them that much. But as she's standing silently in her dark room gazing up at Damon's anguished face, she thinks she does understand now. She can't be selfish with him (Those words ring a bell deep inside her) he's not happy here, he's tired and overwrought (heartbroken) she needs to let him do what's best for him, whatever it means for her.

"Ok." She whispers.

His eyes fall to hers and she swallows back her tears as she nods. "Ok."

He brushes a hand down the side of her face until it settles softly against her neck.

"I'll be seeing you." He says quietly (They both know it's a lie.) And then he's walking around her towards his exit and she can't breathe. The air gets stuck in her throat and she chokes on a dry, wrenching sob. She panics, the second he jumps out of that window, he's gone, lost amongst seven billion people. She _can't _never see him again, she can't go through her life without his smirk or playful jabs, or that god damn _eye-thing _that turns her insides to jelly. Who was she going to call when she was stranded in the middle of no where, scared out of her mind, who was she going to count on to keep her alive, who was she going to…it could go on and on, he'd become such an ingrained part of her that the thought of functioning without him seemed foreign.

She tries to stand still and silent, she tries to just let him go, but at the last minute her hand reaches out and wraps around his.

"Wait!" She cries, desperately, relentlessly, she's not ready, he can't go, not right now.

"Can you stay with me…for a little bit, just a few hours." Her voice is thick with tears and her chest is so tight she fears it might burst. She just wants him to hold her, and make it better. "Please Damon." She begs, but it comes out more like a choked sob.

He hesitates, and she can see the internal struggle in his mind. He finally relents, and to her relief, steps towards her and pulls her into his arms. Only then does her breath come easier, and her body relax.

She moves back only slightly, still keeping a firm grip on him, should he suddenly change him mind. She pulls him towards the bed and he kicks of his boots and lets her pull him down with her. She curls into his chest and cries into the soft material of his shirt. He hesitantly wraps his arms around her shaking body and holds her tightly against him. (It feels right, it feels so _right_.) She can feel his hands stroking soft patterns into her back, and his warm breath tickling her ear. He smells like _him, _that comforting smell that she had found herself missing in Stefan's embrace.

This moment is perfect, she thinks, if he weren't going to leave the second she falls asleep, she thinks she could be truly happy with him here holding her in his arms. It's like nothing can touch her, she's in a safe cocoon of his body, his _love. _She feels truly _safe _for the first time in a while. He's whispering soothing words into her hair, and she lets herself cry. She rarely just lets go, lets herself feel everything, but she can with him, he's the only one who won't judge her, won't think she's weak for hurting or being scared. (She trusts him more than she's ever trusted anyone)

They lie there for hours, until the first rays of light start to peak over the horizon. She hasn't slept a wink, but her tears are long dried up. They feel the warm, golden light creep through her window and both of them wish it had taken longer coming.

Damon sits up and stretches his tired arms, she can feel the reluctance in his movements. He wants to stay in this position, in this bed, in each other's embrace, just as much as she does.

He looks at her and again she wonders by the way his eyes are sweeping over every curve and feature whether he's committing her to memory, like she is him.

"I need to go." He whispers, it sounds like it's not just her he's trying to convince.

She nods, she's not going to stop him. She's going to be strong and watch him disappear out of her life without falling to her knees and begging (really that's all she wants to do.)

He stands up and pulls on his boots, the silence deafening and heavy. (They both have heavy hearts.)

He walks around to where she's sitting perched against the headboard, holding it together by a straw as she watches him.

He pauses, as if contemplating something, before leaning down and pressing his lips lightly to hers. It's not really a kiss, more like a caress, a good bye. Similar to the one she had bestowed on him. (Although really her motivations for that had been purely selfish. She'd thought that maybe it would give him enough strength to hold on until Stefan came through with a cure. She hadn't let herself consider that he would actually die.) It hurts more this time, the kind of hurt she's not sure she'll ever recover from.

And then he's gone, the curtains billow and a soft breath of wind touches her cheek.

"I love you, you know." She murmurs to the empty room, trying to hold closed the floodgates for as long as possible.

She stands and walks to the window, looking out at her empty driveway and quiet road. That's when she breaks. Her knees buckle beneath her and she collapses to the ground with a shuddering, tearing cry that seems to come from so deep within her she can hardly bear it. She wraps her arms around her chest, as though trying to hold herself in one piece, the pain that's tearing through her heart feels like enough to physically break her apart.

Unbeknownst to her, Damon stands outside, just out of view from her window, her gentle proclamation of love playing through his mind and her heartbreaking sobs loud in her ears. He can't do this to her. He knows it's unhealthy for him to stay and torture himself, but every bone in his body is screaming to run to her and fix her. The sound of her anguish is gut-wrenching and can't bear to hear it. Holding her all night was hard enough, with every whimper and sob that had fallen from her sweet lips he'd had to stop himself from apologizing and promising once again that he'll never leave.

He knows that her profession of love was her last shot at getting him to stay, he knows better than to believe it's true. But that doesn't change the fact that she's hurting.

He punches into the side of her house in frustration and cringes when his fist goes straight through the wall. His broken bones heal before his has time to even acknowledge the fleeting pain.

(He knows he's defeated) She's got him ensnarled in her web and however hard he tries, he can't get out. He loves her so damn much that it's a constant ache inside him. His sensitive ears pick up a particularly ragged gasp and he can hear her sobs quickly turn into a full-fledged panic attack. The sound of her alone in her room, hyperventilating at the idea of _him _leaving, is too much.

He's back through her window and into her room before he can second-guess what he's doing. (He's never been able to resist her.) She doesn't hear his quiet entrance, she's curled into a ball on the floor, her arms wrapped around her as though the world is caving in and she needs to protect her fragile body from some unseen force raining down on her. His heart clenches and he curses himself for _yet again _causing her tears. Had he not promised to never be selfish with her? Guess what she said is true, he doesn't keep his promises. (That hurts more than he would like to admit.)

It had been selfish for him to try to leave. He knew it now, (maybe he even knew it at the time) but he needed it, he can't watch her be just out of his reach any more, it's killing him, it's destroying whatever scraps of his soul are left… (Even as she restores it.)

He crouches down beside her and gently touches her shoulder, he's unsure what to do in this situation. He wants to hold her, wants to pick her up in his arms and take it all back, but he doesn't know how.

Her head snaps up and she gives a startled, strangled gasp at the sight of him. She just stares at his face in shock for a few long seconds before springing to life. Her small body launches itself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs hooking around his waist. He falls backwards from sheer surprise at the force behind her, and lands on his butt on the floor, with her sitting in his lap, clinging to him with all her might.

His arms circle her shuddering body and he pulls her tight against his chest, much like he did in the night. Holding her like this feels right. (It always has.)

"I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for what I said at the ball, I didn't mean it, I would never mean it." She gets her words out between sobs and he strokes her back to soothe her as she speaks. (He's hanging on to every word.) "I'm sorry about everything. So, so sorry. Please can I have second chance? I'll make it better, I'll make it all better, I promise. I'll make the right choices this time." She's babbling away, barely pausing to breathe and he wonders how it's possible for her to still manage to be so adorable even in this state.

"Shh.." He whispers into her ear, in the comforting way a mother might to her child. "I forgive you. I'll always forgive Lena."

It's true, he'd forgive her for anything. She could kill him herself, and he wouldn't stop loving her. He'll love her until the day he dies (Probably in some attempt to save her life) And however unhealthy it is, he knows now he can't even leave. With all the will power he possesses, he wasn't able to walk away from her. He'll _never _be able to walk away from her.

"_I'm_ sorry. I'm sorry for the way I've treated you, I'm sorry for _Rebekah, _I'm just…sorry." He continues after a while. If he could take back everything he's done to hurt her, he would. Without missing a beat.

"Well we can both have second chances. We can give each other second chances and make this _right_." She whispers, her words muffled against his chest.

She lifts her head and her watery eyes meet his.

"I'd like to have a second chance with you. If you'll let me."

She's looking at him with something he's never seen before. He thinks (hopes) it might be love. He nods numbly, he's barely aware of what he's agreeing to, he'll agree to anything she asks if she keeps on looking at him like that.

And then her hands are curling in the hair at the base of his neck, pulling his head down towards hers. He lets her guide his face closer, his eyes staying fixed on hers until her lips brush against his. He can taste her tears, her sweet rosy lip balm, her minty toothpaste. She tastes of everything he craves and needs, she's so perfectly _Elena _and it's so perfectly _right _that he loses the ability to think.

The kiss isn't passion and fire, (although that's always there with them, a constant burning in the background) this is about silent apologies and promises. It's about each of them realizing that for once they feel the _same._ It's no longer an unrequited love story. It's an epic love story that's only just beginning. It's the _right _love story. It's _theirs._

"What does this mean?" He asks when she finally pulls away. He doesn't want to say the words out loud. He wants to just revel in the sweetness of this moment. But he needs to hear the words.

She pauses and her hands lift to cradle his face, her eyes full of what he's now certain _is _love.

"I hope this means you're not going anywhere. Because it means that if you are, I'm coming with you." Her voice is soft and so full of certainty that he feels like everything has disappeared and it's just them. The whole world has stood still and all that remains is Elena and the words he's craved for his whole existence.

His lips crash back on hers and she happily obliges, her body pressing against his and her mouth welcoming all he has to give. This is right.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Here's to hoping something like this could actually happen in the show huh? <strong>_

_**It's a bit different from my usual stuff and I'd love to know what you think! **_

_**Please review? :) **_


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